Crown cap removing and retaining implement with ejector



Filed Nov 31, 1955 Aug. 6, 1957 J. BELPEDIO 2,801,557

CROWN CAP REMOVING AND RETAINING IMPLEMENT WITH EJECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. LIDBBY' BELPEDIU ATTURNEY? 1957' J. BELPEDIO 2 ,801,557

CRQWN CAR REMOVING AND RETAINING IMPLEMENT WITH EJECTOR Filed NOV. 21, 1955 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. =1 DEIBY BELPED 1U ATTDRNEY.

CROWN CAP REMOVING AND RETAINING IMPLEMENT WITH EJECTOR Jobby Belpedio, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,046

8 Claims. (Cl. 81-31) The present invention relates to crown cap removing and retaining implements, and is an improvement upon the implements as disclosed in my Patent No. 2,593,091, dated April 15, 1952, reissued November 10, 1953, No. Re. 23,731.

In the implements as therein disclosed, means are provided for releasably retaining the crown cap after it is nited States Patent-O removed from a bottle, such retaining means being operi which will function to replace the cap upon the bottle withoutremoving it from the spring retaining means, this being the procedure when a partial sealing of the bottle for a short period is desired, and which operation is carried out without reshaping the rim of the crown cap.

In the case of re-sealing for use after an extended period it is desirable that the rim be re-shaped, and for this purpose it is proposed in the present invention to provide a resealing part which may be engaged with the cap to reshape its rim into sealing engagement with the bottle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the implement, according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is abottom plan view, the position of a retained crown cap being indicated by dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1, the position of the retained crown cap being shown in dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1, the retained cap being indicated in dot-anddash lines;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, and showing the position of the ejecting means during its initial actuating movement to eject a crown cap;

Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the position of the actuating means when completely moved to effect the ejection of the cap; p n

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertlcal sectional view of a modified form of the invention, in which the actuating means includes a slide member, this figure being taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 8;

' Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the modified form of the Hoe implement as shown in Fig. 7, a portion of the ejecting spring member being broken away;

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of another modified form of the invention, the position of a retained crown cap being indicated by dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along the line 1010 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the line 1111 of Fig. 9, the retained cap being indicated in dot-and-dash lines; 1

Fig. 12 is a bottom plan view of still another modified form of the invention, the position of a retained cap being indicated by dot-and-dash lines; and

Fig. 13 is a londitudinal vertical sectional view taken along the line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1-6 thereof, the implement for removing and retaining crown bottle caps, according to the exemplarly embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises an elongated body member 10 preferably pressed from sheet metal, having a handle portion 11 and a head portion 12, the latter being of relatively wide generally circular shape to be engaged over a crown cap. A depending flange 13 extends around the peripheral edge of the handle and head portions, and serves to stiffen the implement and provide a rounded edge upper surface free from sharp edges, as well as to position and enclose the crown cap during and after removal. p

In the forward side of the flange 13 there is provided an opening 14 having parallel upper andlower edges, and which, as shown by the dot-and-dash lines in Figs. 2 and 3, is adapted to receive a portion of the side wall of the crown cap 15, the lower edge of the opening engaging beneath the edge of the crown cap and the height and width of the opening being such that the portion of the side wall of the cap engaged above the lower edge of the opening fits into the opening. The top wall of the head of the implement is adapted to press upon the upper side of the crown cap at the opposite side of the central axis of the cap from the edge engaged in the opening 14, so that upon pressing downwardly upon the handle portion 11 the cap is pried off of the bottle.

At the underside of the handle portion extending forwardly into the head portion is a spring unit, indicated generally as 16, and which is adapted to releasably retain the cap upon its removal from a bottle. 1 This unit consists of an intermediate horizontally disposed cap ejecting spring member 17 secured adjacent its rearward end to the handle portion 11 by a rivet 18, and a pair of side arm cap retaining spring members 19-19 extended downwardly at right angles from the rearward portion of the horizontal spring member 17, being extended forwardly as spring arms along the inner sides of the flanges 13 into the head portion 12, where they are angularly bent to provide divergent finger portions 20-20 adapted to engage the side wall of the crown cap.

Each of the angularly divergent portions 20 is provided with a retaining rib 21 which is adapted to extend beneath the edge of the crown cap at points substantially opposed to the portion of the edge engaged in the opening 14, so

ribs 21 beneath the edge of the cap.

The cap ejecting spring member 17 is extended forwardly and is provided at its forward end with a cap ejecting finger portion 23 which normally rests against the under side of the head portion 12 and is adapted to be engaged by the upper side of the crown cap when the latter is retained within the head by the spring members 19. A flanged push button 24 is engaged in a hole 25 in the upper wall of the implement substantially at the junction of the handle and head portions, and its lower flanged end is engaged with a downwardly offset intermediate portion 26 of the spring member 17.

On downward pressure upon the button 24'with a crown cap retained within the head, as shownin Fig. 3, the cap ejecting spring member 17 is simultaneously pressed downwardly and placed under tension, its forward finger portion 23 pressing downwardly upon the cap and causing the edge portions of the cap disposed above the retaining ribs 21 to be pressed downwardly upon the inclined camming surfaces of these ribs, the opposite edge of the cap being at the same time retained by the lower edge. of the opening 14. The resistance of the retaining spring members 19 is such that while they are gradually spread apart through the camming action upon the inclined cam surfaces of the ribs 21 as downward pressure is applied, the spring member is at the same time placed under tension, the forward end finger portion 23 being sprung upwardly with respect to the intermediate portion 26, as seen in Fig. 5.

As the push button 24 is further moved downwardly the crown cap is forced downward to the point where its edge moves beneath the ribs 21 where it would normally be free to drop from the implement by gravity. At the instant of release of the edge of the crown cap from the ribs 21, the finger portion 23 of the spring member 17 which is under tension, as seen in Fig. 5, and still in engagement withthe upper side of the cap, is released, as seen in Fig. 6, and thereupon snaps to its normal position with respect to the intermediate portion 26. This occurs with a snap action substantially simultaneously with the movement of the edge of the crown cap beneath the retaining ribs 21, so that the cap is forcibly impelled or ejected from the implement. The ejecting force is sulficiently great so that if the implement is held in a position aimed at a suitable receptacle, the cap will be projected toward such receptacle. Also, if the implement happens to be in an inverted position, the cap will be ejected upwardly, the force of the snap action of the finger portion 23 upon release being sufficient to impel the cap a distance of several inches above the inverted implement.

For the purpose of reforming the rim of the crown cap after it is removed from a bottle, a rescaling part 27 is providedat the rear end of the handle portion, this part being of inverted cup shape, its circular rim being slightly inclined upwardly and inwardly so that when pressed upon the cap it will force the rim of the cap inwardly in sealed relation upon the bottle. The member 17 is secured within a substantially correspondingly shaped portion 28 of the handle, the lower edge of the side wall of the portion 28 being swedged inwardly over the lower edge of the member 27, as at 29.

In carrying out the resealing operation the crown cap is replacedupon the bottle by first pressing it into place with the head end of the implement in which it is retained, the part 27 being then placed over the crown cap and being hit firmly with the palm of the hand to force the rim of the cap into rescaled relation with the bottle.

At the forward end of the implement there is provided, upon the lower edge of the forward portion of the rim 13, a pointed downwardly curved prong portion 30 adapted for puncturing a hole in a can top. A hook member 31 is lanced from the portion 34] and bent downwardly in position to hook under the bead edge of a can, whereupon the prong 30 may be pressed through the can top by swinging the rearward end of the handle of the implement upwardly to thus cut a triangular shaped opening in the can.

In Figs. 7 and 8 there is shown a modified form of the invention in which the push button, as seen in the form illustrated in Figs. 1-6, is replaced by a slide means which is adapted to impart actuating movement to the cap ejecting spring member 17. This slide means is substantially similar to the slide means illustrated in Figs. 8-11 of my prior patent above referred to (original No. 2,593,091, reissue N0. Re. 23,731). It comprises a sheet metal slide member 32 at the under side of the handle portion 11, slidably engaged for longitudinal movement on a shouldered stud 33 riveted to the handle portion and engaged in a slot 34 of the slide member. At the forward end of the slide member there is provided an extension bent downwardly and upwardly upon itself to provide a cam actuating lug 35, the upwardly bent portion being extended upwardly through a slot 36 in the handle portion and having a knob 37 secured thereon at the upper side of the handle portion. The slide member is normally urged rearwardly by a hairpin spring 38' engaged about the stud 33, with its crossed outwardly divergent ends pressing rearwardly upon the side edges of a downwardly bent flange 39 provided at the rearward end of the slide member.

The cap ejecting spring member 17 has an intermediate downwardly offset portion 26a substantially deeper and longer than the intermediate portion 26 of the cap ejecting spring member 17 of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-6, so as to accommodate the slide means, the forward end of the portion 26:: having an inclined cam portion 40 connecting it to the forward finger portion 23, and which is adapted to be engaged by the cam lug 35 of the slide upon forward movement of the slide.

The operation is substantially the same as the operationof the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-6, the cap ejecting spring member 17 being moved downwardly and tensioned by pressing the slide forwardly, causing the lug 35 to engage the cam portion 40 to thuspress the spring member downwardly to an initial spring tensioning position corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 5, and to a final ejection position corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 6, at which point the cap is forcibly ejected through release of the tensioned spring. On release of the slide it will be moved to its rearward position by the spring 38, and the cap ejecting spring member 17 will resume its normal position, as shown in Fig, 7.

In Figs. 9-11 there is illustrated another modified form of the invention in which a modified form of spring unit is employed, this unit, indicated generally as 40, comprising an elongated leaf spring arm 41 secured to the handle portion 11 by a rivet 18 and provided at its forward end within the head portion 12 with a laterally widened cap ejecting finger portion 42 provided at each of its side edges with a downwardly extending cap retaining finger 43 diagonally disposed so as to be positioned substantially tangential to the rim of the cap 15. These fingers are arranged along the rearward edges of the V-shaped lateral extensions 44 at each side of the head portion 41, so that the finger portion 42 extends a substantial distance forwardly of the fingers 43.

Each of the fingers is provided with a retaining rib 45 which is adapted to extend beneath the edge of the crown cap at points substantially opposed to the portion of the edge engaged in the opening 14, so that as shown by the d'ot-and-dash lines, the cap is retained in the head of. the implement after removal from a bottle. The ribs .45 are inclined or bevelled downwardly and inwardly to form camming surfaces, and wing portions 46 respectively extend downwardly and outwardly in inclined relation from the lower edges of the ribs to constitute cam- 'ming guide surfaces for engaging over the crown cap as the implement is fitted thereon, and which cause'the retaining spring fingers to spring outwardly to pass over the cap and thereupon spring inwardly to engage the retaining ribs 45 beneath the edge of the cap.

An embossed stiifening rib 47 is formed in the arm portion 41 and extends from a point adjacent the rivet 18 to a point substantially in lateral line with the rearward edges of the fingers 43, so that the cap ejecting finger portion 42 may flex upwardly with respect to the intermediate stiffened portion during the cap ejecting operation, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The spring arm is adapted to be sprung downwardly during the cap ejecting operation by means of a flanged push button 24 engaged in a hole 25 in the upper wall of the implement, its flanged lower end being engaged with the intermediate stiffened portion of the arm 41. The operation is substantially the same as the operation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 16, the arm 41 being moved downwardly and tensioned by depressing the push button, the forward cap ejecting finger portion 42 pressing downwardly upon the cap and causing the edge portions of the cap disposed above the retaining ribs 45 to be pressed downwardly upon the inclined camming surfaces of these ribs, the opposite edge of the cap being at the same time retained by the lower edge of the opening 14. The resistance of the cap retaining fingers 43 is such that while they are gradually sprung outwardly through the camming action upon the inclined cam surfaces of the ribs 45 as downward pressure is applied, the cap ejecting spring finger 42 is placed under tension, being sprung upwardly with respect to the intermediate stiffened portion, the relationship being substantially the same as illustrated in Fig. 5 with respect to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1-6.

As the push button 24 is further moved downwardly, the crown cap is forced downward to the point where its edge is beneath the ribs 45, where it would normally be free to drop from the implement by gravity. At the instant of release of the edge of the crown cap from the ribs 45, the cap ejecting finger portion 42 which is under tension and is still in engagement with the upper side of the cap, is released and thereupon snaps to its normal position with respect to the intermediate portion, thus forcibly ejecting the cap from the implement.

In Figs. 12 and 13 there is shown a still further modification in which the spring unit is substantially like that shown in Figs. 9-11, but in this case instead of the push button a slide means is employed to impart actuating movement to the spring unit, this slide being identical to that shown in the modification of Figs. 7 and 8. Instead of the stiffening rib 47, the arm 41 is provided with a downwardly offset intermediate portion 48 so as to accommodate the slide means, the forward end of the portion 48 having an inclined cam surface 49 which is adapted to be engaged by the cam lug 35 of the slide upon forward movement of the slide to depress the spring arm 41.

The operation of the slide is substantially the same as the operation of the slide shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and the operation of the spring unit is substantially the same as the operation of the spring unit shown in Figs. 9-11.

What is claimed is:

1. A cap removing and retaining implement for crown cap bottles, comprising a head portion and a handle portion, cap removing means carried by said head portion for engagement by a portion of the edge of the rim of a crown cap whereby upon relative movement of said handle to the bottle said crown cap is removed therefrom, yieldable retaining means engageable with said crown cap to yieldably retain it in said head, a cap ejecting spring fastened at one end with its free end disposed in said head portion for engagement at a point of said spring intermediate said fastened end and said free end with the upper side of said retained cap, actuating means for applying downward pressure to the intermediate portion of said spring between its fastened end and said point of engagement with said retained cap, whereby initial downward pressure causes the end portion of said spring between its free end and said point of engagement to be flexed upwardly under tension, and further downward pressure forces said cap out of retained relation with said retaining means whereupon said upwardly flexed end portion of said spring is released downwardly and applies a propelling force to said cap to forcibly eject it from said head.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said cap removing means comprises a depending flange having a forward portion at the forward end of said head portion, said forward portion having an opening for receiving the rim of a crown cap, and said opening having a lower edge adapted to engage the lower edge of the rim of said cap.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said retaining means comprises a spring member having a rib portion adapted to engage beneath the edge of the rim of said cap, said rib portion having an upper downwardly and inwardly inclined camming surface and a lower downwardly and outwardly inclined guide surface.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said retaining means comprises a pair of spring members each having a rib portion adapted to engage beneath the edge of the rim of said cap respectively at opposed sides thereof, each said rib portion having an upper downwardly and inwardly inclined cam surface and a lower downwardly and outwardly inclined guide surface.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprises a push button slidably engaged in an opening of said head portion and having a retaining flange disposed between said head portion and said spring.

6. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprises a spring loaded slide member and a cam portion carried by said cap ejecting spring and engageable by said slide member to impart downward movement to said cap ejecting spring.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said cap retaining means comprises a pair of laterally movable spring arms extending forwardly at each side of said cap ejecting spring.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said cap retaining means comprises a pair of spring fingers projecting downwardly at each side of said cap ejecting spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 23,731 Belpedio Nov. 10, 1953 1,274,140 Cochrane July 30, 1918 2,514,565 Capriccio July 11, 1950 2,612,065 Packer et al. Sept. 30, 1952 

